MCH Messecenter Herning has previously asked all exhibitors to think carefully before entering into any written agreement with:
The company Global EXPO LIST, which offers a participant list including contact details.
The Austrian company Fair Guide, which operates the internet portal www.fairguide.com via Construct Data Verlag AG.
The Mexican company Commercial Online Manuals S de RL de CV, which operates the website www.expo-guide.com via Expo-Guide, Germany.
The Slovak company Event Fair, which operates the website www.eventandfair.org.
Fair Guide, Expo-Guide, and Event Fair regularly send written offers for inclusion or advertising on their internet portals to exhibitors who have participated in trade fairs or exhibitions at MCH.
These companies have obtained the names of exhibitors without our knowledge or consent and have unlawfully copied content from MCH’s website.
Moreover, the offers may be designed in a way that misleadingly suggests MCH collaborates with these companies.
No cooperation with Fair Guide, International Fairs Directory, Expo-Guide, or Event Fair
Their offers can be worded in such a way as to create the misleading impression that MCH cooperates with the three companies concerned. MCH does not cooperate with Fair Guide, Expo-Guide, or Event Fair. We wish to emphasize that MCH Messecenter Herning Kongrescenter has absolutely no form of cooperation with these guides. We have never supplied exhibitor names or lists to them and we strongly dissociate ourselves from the methods used by these companies.
By signing an agreement with Fair Guide, Expo-Guide, or Event Fair, you commit yourself to paying up to DKK 25,000 for a three-year inclusion on the internet portals. It is naturally up to individuals to judge whether they wish this service – we are definitely of the opinion that it is not worth the money.
German verdict against Fair Guide
Fair Guide uses the same methods in many different countries. However, progress has been made in the struggle of many trade fair and exhibition organizers against Fair Guide, in that the Landgericht Chemnitz in Germany has reached a verdict against Fair Guide. The verdict says that the company is guilty of fraud, that Construct Data Verlag AG cannot require payment from a customer who had signed the company’s form, that the customer’s entry on the internet page should be deleted and that Construct Data Verlag AG is to pay the costs incurred by both parties in the case.
The German organization, AUMA, representing the interests of organizers of trade fairs has published the terms of the verdict in a news letter, which can be read here. MCH has a transcript of the verdict and the grounds for it in both a German and an English version.
Other similar companies
Please be aware that other companies also make use of a concept that is similar to that of Fair Guide, Expo-Guide, and Event Fair – an example is EU Company Directory and there are others. We are not aware of any verdict against Expo-Guide or other organizations, but we are aware that their business methods are more or less identical with those of Fair Guide.
Warning about fake invoices and suspicious emails
MCH would like to warn against fake invoices and suspicious offers regarding visitor lists from our trade fairs. We ourselves have received several emails containing suspicious content, and we strongly distance ourselves from these emails and the methods used.
Here is an example of a suspicious email:
Hi,
I am following up to confirm if you are interested in acquiring the Visitors/Registrants List.
FoodTech Herning 2020
29 Sep - 01 Oct 2020
Herning,Denmark
Registrants Counts: 8,974
Each record of the list contains: Contact Name, Email Address, Company Name, URL/Website, Phone No, Title/Designation.
It is difficult to physically perform the event because of the corona virus. However, currently the best way to grow your business is through digital. This list will help you pass information about your organization and products directly and digitally to the buyer. This list will help you to acquire many potential clients/leads.
If you are interested in acquiring the list, we can provide you the cost and additional details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks & Regards,